A recent Zogby poll of hypothetical Republican candidates showed Christie first in the field, ahead of tight-bodied Sarah Palin, and the only Republican beating skinny Barack Obama. But, Christie is fat. “America has not had a truly obese president since William Howard Taft a century ago,” Reuters’s Daniel Trotta explained on Monday. With further research, Reuters discovered: “Stereotypes persist that fat people are lazy, unintelligent and unsuccessful. The bias is even worse for women.” Alas, “American views on overweight candidates may help determine the political future,” Trottaconcludes.

On the other hand, Christie’s ability to give an awesome bear hug and his open aversion to dieting could make him a “relatable” candidate. Or maybe people ultimately make decisions about who they want to be president based on, you know, who they believe can best lead the country. Politicians like Jon Corzine already poked fun at Christie’s weight way back in 2009, and those schoolyard taunts didn’t get to voters that time. So all this speculation about Christie’s weight makes it sound like this nation is superficial orsomething!